Mary Holder Naegeli
Author
—Charles W. Eliot, The Happy Life—1896
Mary Holder Naegeli: Author
Mary’s calling as a writer and pastor is to bring the Word of God to life for ordinary people. Her education and forty years of pastoral experiences have given her an appreciation for the human condition and the heart-cries of women and men searching for God’s wisdom. Through blogging, curriculum development, and non-fiction books, Mary’s writing has helped believers and questioners sort out complex issues and clarify how the Bible is relevant to real life in real time.
Mary holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University (Music), and Master of Divinity (Christian Formation and Discipleship emphasis) and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary.
She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area where she serves as pastor-in-residence at a local Presbyterian church. Mary is married to the man she met in her Stanford freshman dorm in 1971. Together they have two grown daughters and have welcomed two sons-in-law and three grandchildren into the family.
Grandchildren, world travel, road trips, symphony concerts, and the San Francisco Giants offer seasonal diversions.
WHY I DON'T PRAY: Sharing the Struggle with Saints and Sages
This book is for anyone who wants to pray but doesn’t. Thirty-five years in the making, Why I Don’t Pray captures the struggles and frustrations of would-be pray-ers like me. My praying life comes in spurts and sputters, even now that I am “retired” and in full control of my time—NOT! But studying the great works of spiritual writers over the centuries, I discovered that even saints and sages have struggled to keep conversing with God in prayer. We are not alone.
The difference between them and me is that their life challenges did not stop them from praying. In fact, the more obstacles they encountered, the more they prayed! This book shares the insights from their stories and, of course, the Scriptures to encourage us to open our end of the conversation with God.
If you’re ready for a deep dive into what makes you tick spiritually, this book accompanies you through a review of body, mind, emotions, will, social context, and spirit to identify your prayer hang-ups and let them go. Like the saints and sages introduced in this book, you may marvel that your prayer obstacles become your prayer catalysts!
Available Now!
DEEP BREATHING: FINDING CALM AMID CANCER ANXIETY
Redemption Press
Fresh, daily insights into the unfolding experience of lung cancer, discovering in light of scripture that serenity and curiosity are more sustainable and life-giving than anxiety.
Deep Breathing enables readers to slow down, calm down, and get curious about what is happening to them physically and spiritually. The author demystifies lung cancer by sharing medical details of her own experience, and thereby encourages readers to ask questions and explore fearlessly the very thing that threatens their wellbeing. Eschewing the melodramatic or sensational, she writes from a positive and realistic view of life with cancer and a palpable awareness of God’s faithful presence and biblical encouragement. Readers discover that God is trustworthy and will help them face whatever outcome is in their future, whether healing, chronic management, and/or death.
Available Now!
Blog: Bringing the Word to Life
U-Turns and the Straight Path
Running errands yesterday, I had entered a series of destinations into my Google Maps app, and clicked “Get directions.” My first stop was the fabric store and then my friend’s house to deliver a gift. I had a general memory of how to get to Terry’s home and proceeded on that route. But Siri had other ideas, and at several stoplights she urged me to make a U-turn. I knew I was on the right route, but Siri wanted me to backtrack and take a round-about freeway route to approach her home from the other direction. It was a nervy
Morning Prayer—Upon Arising
My Morning Prayer Routine I am invincible in the morning. Anything requiring my creative thinking and positive attitude is best done upon arising, preferably before breakfast. Many of my readers may be night owls, so my morning prayer routine may be a non-starter for you. Maybe something here will help you think about mornings differently. But first, a word of
The Examen as a Nightly Practice at the End of the Day
You haven’t heard from me for a while, but I am alive, well, and improving in all aspects of life. Give thanks to God! I have even been writing—about four or five hours a day since the beginning of the year. The result of that labor of love is a book entitled Why I Don’t Pray: [Subtitle TBD]. Now that
Prayer as a Practice
The question came up this week: Mary, how do you practice prayer? It’s a great question, because prayer is a practice and it takes practice. But “it”—the precise form of prayer—varies greatly from day to day, from person to person, from tradition to tradition. There are so many ways to pray! What’s very important, though, is to confirm that I